


An Appointment (for a special rendez-vous)

by Daughter_of_the_TARDIS



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: 40s nightclub, Anniversary, BAMF River Song, Cabarets, Cute, Darillium, Date Night, F/M, Fluff, Mobsters, The Stork Club, during darillium, mafia, ninth doctor/rose tyler (mentioned) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 09:03:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14745879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daughter_of_the_TARDIS/pseuds/Daughter_of_the_TARDIS
Summary: River Song has a surprise planned for the Doctor.Meanwhile, Team TARDIS just wants to kick back and relax.





	An Appointment (for a special rendez-vous)

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been cleaning out my hard drive lately, and stumbled across a bunch of half-finished fics. That means that you, my dear readers, will be getting a lot more of the ridiculous products of my imagination… as soon as I actually finish writing them. 
> 
> This is my first time ever writing for the Ninth Doctor, and my second time writing Rose Tyler. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Each line break indicates a switch between perspectives - half have Nine, Rose, and Captain Jack; while the other half have Twelve and River.
> 
> As always, thanks to pure-ninja for beta-ing for me!

The Doctor and Rose Tyler had decided to take a break from their typical world saving pursuits, and as such had picked a random era to visit for a night on the town. Rose was excited - traveling in the TARDIS was exciting enough, but to have the undivided attention of the Time Lord for the night would be like nothing she had ever imagined. Normally it was split between her and TARDIS repairs, or her and whatever menace they were currently running from. It would be nice to have him all to herself for once. 

Jack would be with them, of course. But he had known about her crush on the Doctor since practically day one of his time aboard the TARDIS, and as such he had made it his duty to help her catch his attention.

She was in the wardrobe room, trying to figure out what to wear, when the TARDIS grabbed her attention, leading her towards a specific time period for the clothing. 

“Thanks.” she said awkwardly, still getting used to the whole ‘sentient ship’ thing. “Hey Jack?” she called, trying to figure out where the ex-con had disappeared to.

“Yeah, Rosie?” he called out, and she couldn’t help the slight blush that came to her cheeks when she heard the nickname. Even though Jack had quickly become like a big brother to her, there was still something about the 51st-century man that made her feel like her sixteen-year-old self all over again.

The man in question poked his head around the corner, his eyes crinkling as he gave her that megawatt grin that had gotten them out of a sticky situation on the planet Foon only a few hours earlier. “What is it?” he asked, and she held up the dress that she was planning on wearing. 

“What d’you think of this?” she asked, and he came closer, examining the outfit closely before shaking his head.

“No.” he said, taking it from her and slipping it back on the rack. “If you really want to turn heads tonight, go with… this.” he pulled a different dress off of the rack that the TARDIS had provided for her.

She gave it a quick glance before agreeing with the captain, and ducked behind a changing screen that the TARDIS had set up. She couldn't help her giddy smile as she slid into the dress.

The Doctor wouldn't know what hit him.

8888

The Doctor had received coordinates only ten minutes earlier via a note left on the kitchen counter. It was odd, getting used to domesticity, but it was surprisingly nice, he had to admit. He took the time to put on a decent suit - ditching his hoodie and plaid trousers - as the Old Girl piloted herself to their destination. No matter how many centuries passed, and how much he huffed about her playing favorites, she would always favor her daughter over her Thief. 

Not that he blamed her, of course. He was the same way even after thousands of years, dropping whatever he was working on as soon as he heard even the slightest mention of her name. There had been times in the past when he hadn’t trusted her in even the slightest and was rather rude to her - especially as Bow Tie, he couldn’t help but scowl, although the pretty boy in pinstripes hadn’t been much better. Now he trusted his bespoke psychopath - his wife, he thought as a small smile curled the corners of his lips - with everything that he had. He ran a hand through his silver curls, trying to tame them slightly and scowling at his reflection when he only managed to make them even more unruly. After all, he had to look his best for the missus.

It was only a relief that Nardole wasn’t here to see this, he mused. There was no telling how long he would mock him for his need to primp.

He exited the TARDIS, looking around to see where exactly he was - where his wife had gotten into trouble this time. He couldn't help the wide, completely involuntary grin that spread across his face at the very thought of seeing her. However, nothing seemed to be the matter - there were no fires raging out of control, no screaming people, no monsters raging out of control. 

Instead, the TARDIS had landed behind a curtain in what looked to be the entrance hall of a posh cabaret club. The floors were covered in thick red carpets, the walls paneled in dark wood with elegant sconces for lighting. Well-dressed couples made their way through the lobby - the men in top hats and tailcoats, and the women in silk dresses and pearls.

“You Mr. Song?” someone asked, and he turned around, a little smirk on his face. Trust River to continue that tradition, he silently mused. If her father was a Pond, then that made him a Song, in her eyes. He really wasn't going to argue with her - Gallifrey had been a matriarchal society after all.

The person who had asked the question was dressed in a sharp looking black-and-white suit, with his hair neatly parted to one side. He was definitely American, judging by the accent.

“Are we in New York?” the Doctor asked, curious. The accent was enough of a giveaway to tell him that much, but there had been several hundred different New Yorks over the centuries and he wanted to be sure they were in the right one.

The waiter looked bemused. “‘Course you are.” he said, shooting the man a strange look. “This way, yer highness.” he said, turning sharply on his heel to lead the Doctor to the front of the room. 

The Doctor continued questioning him even as he followed after the other man. “What’s the date?” he asked, and the waiter didn’t even look back at him. “Where am I?”

“April twenty-second.” came the answer, and the ancient alien perked up slightly. Their anniversary - River must have something up her sleeve, then. “Yer at the Stork Club.”

He raised a single bushy eyebrow, impressed. The Stork Club was as exclusive as it was famous, bringing in the crowds like nowhere else could. For River to get them in here...

“And the year?” he asked, and this time the waiter looked back at him in confusion.

“Nineteen thirty-seven, Mistah… the same as the rest of the year.” he showed the Doctor to his table. He nearly breathed a sigh of relief, losing some of the tension in his shoulders. They were out of the Prohibition era, which meant that River probably hadn’t done anything that would end with them in a cell tonight. Probably.

“Please excuse me, sir.” he said and turned to walk away. He only made it a few steps though, before turning back. “‘Scuse me, sir.” he said apologetically. “Missus Song asked me to give you this.” he pulled an envelope out of the inside of his jacket and handed it to the Doctor, before saying, “You’re a lucky man, y’know. There’s a lotta men out there who would kill for a dame like her.”

His only response was to smirk as he took the envelope from the man, saying, “I know.”

Once the waiter had left, the Doctor looked over the envelope, examining every inch of it. As far as he could tell, it was made of normal paper for the time period, and it had been sealed with a kiss in a familiar shade of lipstick. He carefully pulled the envelope open, inhaling the jasmine and cordite aroma that made up his wife’s natural scent. It was one of those things that was so purely River - one of those things that he could never seem to get enough of.

 _Sweetie,_ the note read. _I’ll see you soon, my love. Enjoy the show. X_

He didn’t have much time to puzzle over what she could have meant before the lights dimmed and the show got ready to begin. But he was ready for whatever was coming - because if he knew his wife at all, he knew that she was planning something.

The only question was if it would be a good surprise or not.

8888

The Doctor, Rose, and Jack stepped out of the TARDIS, looking around at the area.

“Where are we then, Doctor?” Rose asked, smoothing down the skirt of her dress. She was still basking in the aftermath of the stunned look that the Doctor had given her when she had first walked into the console room. 

“New York City, 1937.” The Doctor replied, the lights of a nearby marquee reflecting in his icy blue eyes. “A few streets off of Broadway, by the looks of things.” he turned to look at his companions, a goofy grin lighting up his face. “D’you want to see a show?”

Rose just laughed, giving him that tongue-touched grin that he loved so much. “D’you even have to ask?” she replied, linking one arm through his and the other through Jack's as they walked.

A doorman moved a golden chain to let them in, bowing low when the Doctor flashed his psychic paper, and they walked into the cabaret club with minutes to spare before the show started. Jack had stopped to stare at the marquee that wrapped around the top of the entrance, proudly announcing to the world in bright electric lights: “PERFORMING FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY: THE FABULOUS RIVER SONG!”

Rose had stopped to ask him what was wrong, and he answered as the Doctor tried to hurry them into the club.

“I could’ve sworn that I know that name.” he said quietly. “From back in the 51st century - there’s a famous archaeologist with the same name. It could be a coincidence, but…”

“Did you ever meet her?” Rose asked, and Jack shook his head. 

“No - which is a real shame,” he said, giving her a wide smile. “I’ve heard that she’s a lot of fun, even if her husband's the jealous type.” he waggled his eyebrows, leaving absolutely no doubt as to what he meant by that. She was still giggling at his comments as the lights dimmed.

A spotlight shone on the raised platform in the very front of the room as the house lights dimmed, and the crowd quieted down just as the music started to play. The classic red velvet curtains opened slowly, revealing that night’s entertainment. 

8888

The Doctor looked up at his wife in awe, nearly having a sodding heart attack at the very sight of her. She was standing up on the stage in a slinky strapless black dress with a low cut back, and a slit up the side with a sheer red wrap that sparkled in the light wrapped loosely around her shoulders. The red high heels that he had bought her for their anniversary one year were on her feet, giving her an extra few inches of height. Her hair wasn’t as curly as it usually was, but instead hung in slightly looser curls down her back.

“Bollocks.” he muttered, and it was obvious that she heard him from the smirk she sent his way. She leaned in towards the microphone, her ruby red lips almost touching it as she wrapped a small but capable hand around the stand. The band started to play - an upbeat, swinging tune full of brass.

_I'm in a little bit of trouble_  
_And I'm in real deep_  
_From the beginning to the end_  
_He was more than a friend to me_

Her voice was equal parts smoky, sultry, and sweet - perfect for the era. She wrapped her other hand around the microphone as she sang, pulling it closer to her lips as she crooned out the tune. Her hips swung softly along with the brass, marking out the rhythm that they were playing.

_The thought is makin' me hazy_  
_I think I better sit down_  
_Cause like the sweetest serenade_  
_Bet he knows he's got it made with me_

8888

_Twisting round on a carousel_   
_This speeds' too much to stop_   
_One second I'm thinkin' I'm feeling the lust_   
_And then I feel a lot_

“Wow.” Jack said, staring up at the woman with his chin held in his hands. “Just wow. Even if she isn’t the same River Song, I still want to meet her.” he said, a touch of awe in his voice.

“Yeah.” Surprisingly, it was the Doctor who answered. “She’s not bad, not bad at all.” he mused. None of them could take their eyes off of the woman.

As they watched, River Song made her way down and off of the stage, going from table to table and flirting with both men and women at each of them. She would wink at the men and steal their drinks, or play with a woman's hair and run a finger down her arm. Everyone in the room seemed almost captivated by her. _Ooh that man is like a flame_  
_And ooh that man plays me like a game_  
_My only sin is I can't win_  
_Ooh I wanna love that man_  
_Ooh that man is on my list_  
_And ooh that man I wanna kiss_  
_My only sin is I can't win_  
_Ooh I wanna love that man_

“Maybe she is the same person.” Jack mused, watching her just that little bit closer. “I can’t think of anyone from this century who would flirt willingly with both genders - it's a major taboo here.” 

Rose didn't say anything - there was something about the woman that was captivating, making you give her every iota of attention. “Maybe 's her perfume.” She said. “Smells amazin’.”

_Now it's like I'm on a mission_  
_Headed everywhere_  
_And if it takes a little long_  
_And it feels a little wrong, who cares?_

_My baby fits the description_  
_And does it easily_  
_A little Gable, some Astaire_  
_When he dances I can hardly breathe_

 

She sauntered over towards their table, and something changed in her expression when she saw them - there was a brief moment where panic flashed in her eyes before she managed to get a hold of herself. She quickly changed directions, her hair flying out behind her as she stalked towards a table at the front. Jack pouted, making Rose laugh - until she sang the next verse. She sat down on a man’s lap, smoothing a hand over the cravat that he wore.

_Someone call the Doctor_  
_Need some help to rescue me_  
_One second I'm thinkin' I must be lost_  
_And he keeps on findin' me_

“Did you hear that?” Jack asked, turning to the other time travelers. “Did she just say….”

The Time Lord nodded, his face stony and jaw clenched tight, irritated that their night had been interrupted. “She said Doctor.” he confirmed.

8888

The Doctor stared up at his wife as she settled herself on his lap, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist as he pulled her close. It was funny - he couldn’t stand to be touched in this body. But when it was River, he didn’t want to take his hands off of her for even a second. He breathed in the scent of her - her jasmine shampoo, and Petrichor perfume, along with something slightly spicy that he had always simply known as Time. She had amped up her fifty-first century pheromones just a bit, and all eyes were glued to her as she sauntered around the club. He hummed happily as he wound a curl around his finger, playing with it for a moment before letting go. She smirked down at him, moving a hand up to smooth over his cravat before moving her hand even higher to run through his hair.

He could feel people's eyes burning into them, and his grip on River’s waist tightened when he laid eyes on one of the groups that were staring. They sat in a back corner, and to most people wouldn’t have even been visible through the thick cloud of cigar smoke that surrounded them. 

However, the Doctor was not most people and could see them just fine.

All three of the men seemed dangerous - thick-bodied, muscular, and scarred. The man in the middle was the one who seemed to stand out, though. He didn’t look all that different from the rest of the crowd - unless you noticed the signet ring on his right ring finger or the light-coloured ribbon around his fedora. 

Put the two together, and it could have only meant one thing: Mafia. Add that to the fact that he was staring at River with no small amount of excitement, and the man was starting to bother him.

_Ooh that man is like a flame_  
_And ooh that man plays me like a game_  
_My only sin is I can't win_  
_Ooh I wanna love that man_  
_Ooh that man is on my list_  
_And ooh that man I wanna kiss_  
_My only sin is I can't win_  
_Ooh I wanna love that man_

He didn’t hear any more of her song as he watched the mobster, trying to figure out exactly why he was staring at River like that.

8888

The show was over about an hour later, and Team TARDIS was heading back to the police box they called home.

“Doctor I want you, mmm, my doctor wanna do, I can't get over you, doctor do anything that ya wanna do” Rose sang happily as she moved ahead of the Doctor and Captain Jack. She was practically dancing as she made her way down the street, drawing amused looks from the late-night crowds.

She turned around to face the two men in her life, and stopped. They were both staring down a back alley that connected to the cabaret club, almost identical looks of anger on their faces.

“Wha’ is it?” Rose asked, moving closer. “Wha’s goin’ on?” She froze as soon as she saw what was happening in the alleyway, a deep rage filling her.

Several men were there - she counted at least four or five. Two of them were standing over a well-dressed older man with silvery-grey hair and frankly ridiculous eyebrows, while another two were holding onto the arms of a woman, one on each side of her and keeping ahold of her arms. The fifth stood in front of the woman - Rose could see the leer on his face even from where they were standing.

Surprisingly, she noticed, the woman didn’t seem scared, or even nervous. If anything, she seemed positively furious. “I was just going to let you off with a good thrashing.” Rose was surprised as the woman threw her head back, trying to get away from the goons holding her to reveal herself as River Song, the cabaret singer from that night. She had pinned her hair up and had changed out of her slinky black dress into a deep blue one that almost looked familiar. “But now you’ve hurt my husband.” she said darkly, and now that she wasn’t singing, Rose could clearly hear her British accent. “Which just leaves me with one question - what am I going to do with you?”

The man who had been leering at her chuckled. “Look at her! The canary’s got a bite, don’t she?”

“Leave her alone.” the man on the ground snapped, his Scottish accent thickening with every word as he grew tenser. He lifted his head, and Jack winced in sympathy when he saw the large bruise that was starting to blossom across his face. “Lay one finger on her and I promise you, there is not a single corner of this universe that you will be able to hide in. I will make it so you wish that you have never been born.”

The silver-haired man winced in pain as one of the goons sucker-punched him, hard. River cried out, fighting twice as hard against the goons holding her. “River, don’t!” he said, looking up at his wife from where he was kneeling on the ground. “I’m fine.” he looked up at the goon, furrowing his eyebrows. “Here’s what’s going to happen.” he said, his voice going cold. “You will let us go, or I will reign hell on you for the rest of your miserable little lives.”

“Was that a threat?” one of the mobsters asked, taking a step forward. He cocked his gun, pointing it at the older man’s temple.

The man didn’t even seem worried in the slightest. “Oh, brilliant deduction.” he scoffed. “Really, gold star for you. Yes, it was a bloody threat.”

That was when Jack and the Doctor decided that they had seen enough - or, to be closer to the truth, that was when they thought they could interfere with the least chance of someone getting shot.

“I suggest you step away from the canary.” Jack said, doing his best New York accent. He already had a basic idea of what was going to happen - the Doctor would talk circles around the goons while he went in and knocked them out with a few well-placed punches.

Of course, like most well-laid plans that involved the Doctor, that wasn’t what ended up happening.

8888

Her husband had been waiting for her as soon as the show ended, and he had been more than willing to show her what he had thought of her performance. They had practically fallen out of the back door to the club, both laughing and practically drunk on happiness - although he had gone through enough brandy during the show to make him warm and malleable and pleasantly tipsy. This was the first time in a while that their timelines had been perfectly linear, and she was planning to enjoy it to the best of her ability.

Unfortunately, they had barely made it five steps down the alley before she had been grabbed. She really should have seen it coming, she couldn't help but think - but then she had been more than a little distracted. Her cry of surprise had the Doctor turning around, attack eyebrows at the ready and a scowl on his face.

“Let her -” he didn’t get to finish before he was punched in the face, sending him reeling as he fell to the ground. He groaned as he tried to sit up, and she could already see a bruise forming on his face.

A deep chuckle emanated from the shadows, and River turned away from her husband for a moment to see who had thought it would be a good idea to try and hurt her sweetie. “He’s an eager one, ain’t he?” the voice said before it’s owner stepped out of the shadows. She recognized him, of course - he was one of the most notorious gangsters of the era. There wasn’t a self-respecting archeologist out there who didn’t know who he was, especially when it came to archaeologists who also happened to be at home in the criminal elements of the universe.

Frank Costello, the ‘Prime Minister of the Underworld’.

Costello was an Italian mob boss, through-and-through, with the suit and slicked-back hair that was shown in the movies. “But this is my territory, Mistah… an’ I say that Missus Song here owes me some fun.” he moved forward to touch her cheek, but she pulled back, nearly spitting at him in her anger.

“Over my dead body.” she snarled. If she has been the only one there, she would have fought her way out of the situation by now, but the Doctor was there too. And there was no way in hell that she was going to let anything happen to her sentimental idiot of a husband.

“Oi!” the Doctor roared, and she couldn’t help rolling her eyes. Scottish to a fault, her husband was. “Let her go.”

Costello sneered, gesturing to one of his goons. The man punched the Doctor again, and she could feel her anger rising as her blood boiled.

“I was just going to let you off with a good thrashing.” She said, throwing her head back as she fought against the men holding onto her. “But now you’ve hurt my husband. Which just leaves me with one question - what am I going to do with you?”

Capone chuckled. “Look at her! The canary’s got a bite, don’t she?”

“Leave her alone.” the Doctor snapped, looking up at them. River nearly lost it when she saw the large bruise that was blossoming on the side of his face. She could take a lot of things, but seeing the people she loved get hurt was something that she had never been able to handle. “Lay one finger on her and I swear, there is not a single corner of this universe that you will be able to hide in. I will make it so you wish that you have never been born.”

A soft sound of pain escaped him as the same goon sucker-punched him, hard. River cried out, fighting twice as hard against the goons holding her. “River, don’t!” he cried out, looking up at his wife from where he was kneeling on the ground. “I’m fine.” he looked up at the goon, furrowing his eyebrows. “Here’s what’s going to happen.” he said, his voice going cold. “You will let us go, or I will reign hell on you for the rest of your miserable little lives.”

“Was that a threat?” one of the mobsters asked, taking a threatening step forward.

The man didn’t even seem worried in the slightest. “Oh, brilliant deduction.” he scoffed. “Really, gold star for you. Yes, it was a bloody threat.”

Suddenly, someone intervened.

“I suggest you step away from the canary.” A voice said in a frankly terrible imitation of a New York accent. River looked over to see a very handsome man standing at the entrance to the alleyway with two other people standing behind him. He had dark hair, blue eyes, and the kind of jawline that Clark Gable would kill for.

The woman was blonde with dark roots, and wore a pale purple silk evening dress that perfectly hugged her hips and waist before flaring out to her calves. Her hair had been curled and pinned up on her head and she wore a pair of modest nude pumps.

The other man was the one that made her catch her breath, however. He had icy blue eyes and a frown on his lips and a vulnerable side he kept well hidden. She knew this man as well as she knew her husband - if only by reputation. The Doctor had told her many stories about his ninth self, but she never thought that she would get a chance to actually meet the man.

Which meant, if she remembered correctly - and she definitely did - that the blonde woman was Rose Tyler, and the other man was Captain Jack Harkness. 

She shook her head to try and clear it, remembering the potentially lethal situation that she was in. She took a moment to properly examine the position she was in - along with exactly where the mobsters were standing - before letting herself spring into action. Using her full strength, she pulled her arms up and inwards, yanking them free of the mobsters’ grips. Deciding to take a page out of almost every gangster film that she had ever watched back in her days as Mels, she clunked their heads together before letting them fall to the alley floor, unconscious. 

She pulled her miniature blaster out of the tiny clutch that she had been carrying, grateful that they hadn’t thought to take her things. Although, she mused, it was rather typical of the era to not consider women to be as much of a threat. She decided that she would be irritated about that some other time, as it was rather working in her favor at the moment.

The two remaining goons backed away when they saw the murderous look in her eyes, but Costello just smirked. “Nice pea-shooter.” He allowed. His amusement only lasted until she fired a warning shot, and the plasma blast scorched the brickwork next to his head. That was all it took to make the mobsters turn tail and run for their lives.

“Seems like you didn’t need our help after all.” the Captain remarked, and River smiled, a witty remark on the tip of her tongue, but that faded when the Doctor moved over to her husband, trying to help him up onto his feet.

“No, don’t touch him!” She ordered. They had gotten through their timelines crossing so far without any difficulty, but as soon as the younger Doctor made contact with his older self things would change, and the last thing that they needed was the Doctor to get too big a glimpse of his own future. It was almost surprising that the younger Doctor hadn’t recognized his older self yet, but she already knew that the aftermath of the Time War had left its toll on him. 

The younger version of her husband stopped, looking at her in confusion. “It's alright, I'm a Doctor.” the Time Lord said, and she couldn't help the way that his northern burr made her blood race a bit. His older self obviously noticed because he sent her a scowl and a raised eyebrow, as if warning her to behave. She couldn’t help rolling her eyes in return - like his eye roll would actually get her to listen to him.

“Don't touch him.” she repeated. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with a reasonable excuse for why he couldn't touch him. Then a small smirk crossed her face, causing her Doctor to tense up slightly. Nothing good ever came from that smirk.

“He’s got a terrible disease.” she said. He looked at her in betrayal, and she had to work to keep from giggling at the startled owl look on his face. “Spread by skin contact.”

The younger Doctor didn’t quite look like he believed her, but still didn’t want to risk it. “Alright.” he said, backing up slightly. “Off you go, then.”

She hurried over to his side, kneeling down in the filthy alleyway, intent on checking him over to make sure he was okay.

“Nardole will never let you live this down once he's done fussing over you,” she said softly. The sound of his quiet laughter was enough to make her calm down slightly, relaxing muscles that she hadn't even realized had tensed. No matter how deep she buried her darker side, nothing brought it back out faster than someone she cared about getting hurt.

“Just like he’ll never let you live down being flirted with by a mob boss.” he replied, wincing slightly as she helped him to his feet. 

“You call that flirting?” she retorted. 

He ignored her, knowing that if he thought about it too much, he would end up going back and punching the bloody mobsters. “Of course, we could just not tell him that any of this ever happened.” He offered, hoping that she would accept his plan.

She hummed in agreement as she slid one of his arms over her shoulder, curling her arm protectively around his hip. “Thank you for your help.” She said, flashing the Doctor and Captain Jack an insincere smile. “But I think we can handle it from here.”. She didn't give them a chance to reply. Instead, she balanced perfectly on one heeled foot, bringing up her other leg so she could slip off her heel with her free hand. She handed the shoe to her Doctor when it looked like he was about to say something that might end up blowing their cover. 

“You sure about that?” the Doctor asked, studying them intently. His arms were crossed over his leather jacket, eyes piercing into her. 

“Of course, sweetie.” She said, flashing him a quick grin when she noticed how he watched her - while she knew that this version of her Doctor was head-over-heels for a certain Rose Tyler, it was still nice to know that she could catch his eye. “Goodbye, Doctor.”

8888

He watched as the pair headed down the alleyway, with the man leaning slightly against his wife as she led them, picking her way through the garbage. Her curls bounced slightly as she walked, and he felt something shiver down his spine when her low laughter echoed off of the brick walls. It reminded him slightly of the way his hearts felt lighter every time Rose smiled at him with that tongue-touched grin that seemed reserved just for him.

“Well?” Jack asked, sidling up beside him. The captain had been surprisingly quiet this entire time, but now he gave his friend a knowing look. “Aren’t you going to go after them?”

He smiled.

The Doctor chased after them, his steel-toed boots hitting the pavement loudly with every step. He was determined to find out why she refused to let him anywhere near her husband. To find out who she was, and why she looked at him why she knew him. Most importantly, he wanted to know why looking at him made her so sad. So he chased after them, following the sounds of their footsteps in an attempt to track where they were going. He had to use every one of his Time Lord tricks in order to keep up - especially once they left the back alleys for the main streets - but he managed not to lose them.

They took a long, circuitous route, but eventually, he found the pair outside a familiar blue box, and the pieces started to fit together. They were talking quietly, heads bent together as if to keep each other safe from the outside world. Eventually, she said something, and he laughed quietly before kissing her gently, then going into the TARDIS. That was what sent the Doctor reeling, and he very nearly missed it when she spoke.

“I know you’re there.” she said, leaning against the Old Girl. “Come out, Doctor.”

“So that's why you turned around when you saw us in the club.” he stated, his tone unreadable as he moved out of the shadows. “You recognized me.”

“What can I say?” River shrugged, smiling softly. “You're a rather hard man to forget.”

“You know me, then. This me, I mean - obviously you know that me.” His words came out in a bit more of a defensive ramble than he would have liked, and he crossed his arms over his chest as he studied her. She just smiled, tucking a curl behind her ear as she looked up at him. 

She knew what would come out of her mouth would make him even more twitchy - if there was one thing that he couldn't stand, it was not knowing something - but she couldn't help herself. “Spoilers.”

His glowering was almost as impressive as it was adorable, she couldn't help but think. He leaned against the red-papered wall, trying to appear intimidating. It most likely would have worked, too - if she had been anyone else. But she had been married to him for well over two hundred years, now. She knew all of his tricks.

“Now then.” She said, pulling open the door to the TARDIS and blocking the view to the console room when he tried to peek inside. “I want a jumper, a bath, and my husband… not necessarily in that order.” she sighed, closing the door again. “But I think we’ll have to take care of this first, shall we?” she asked, coming to a stop in front of him.

He looked down at her, noticing how much shorter than him she was without her heels on. Her hair added a good inch or two to her height, he couldn’t help but notice. His eyes lingered on it for a moment - the hints of red and brown that streaked through it, the way it spiraled out in every direction, the way it hung over her shoulders. She chuckled softly, pulling his attention back to what was happening. “What is it with you and my hair?” she mused, her lips curling up into a tiny smile.

Then he remembered what she had said before. “Take care of what?” he asked. Her smile fell, and he knew exactly what she was talking about. He was even okay with it. But before she took his memories, he had to know one thing.

“Who are you?” he asked, staring down at her. There was a burning curiosity in his eyes that she wasn’t quite used to seeing anymore - it had happened a lot in their early days, but since beginning their twenty-four years together, it didn’t happen as often anymore. Nowadays it was more of a curiosity as to which of them would be cooking dinner… or if she was wearing panties that day.

“You’ll find out one day.” she told him solemnly, putting her hands on his temples. “I promise.” 

She locked away the last ten minutes or so of his memories, replacing them with a vague idea of what had happened while leaving out anything that might make him think he had seen anything more than a cabaret singer and her husband. He swayed a bit and she held on tight, making sure that he didn’t fall over. It wouldn’t do to have him end up on the floor of the club, wondering what happened.

“Goodbye, sweetie.” she said, pressing one last kiss to his temple.

And with that, they took off, the TARDIS fading away before the Doctor realized that it had ever even been there in the first place.

8888

“Where ya been, Doc?” Jack asked, making his way back up the alleyway. “Rosie was starting to worry.” the blonde nodded in agreement, her heels clicking against the ground as she walked.

“It’s only been a minute, Jack.” the Doctor said, rolling his eyes as he made his way back to the others. Jack looked at him questioningly, wondering why the Time Lord hadn’t used the opportunity to remind them that he was a Time Lord, like he did every other time someone said that he had gotten the time wrong.

“So who was she?” Rose asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. “An’ who was he, for that matter.”

The Doctor shrugged - he had been curious about them, but he couldn’t quite understand why. Yes, she had sung about a Doctor, but he had followed them to their front door and nothing interesting had happened. “Just a singer, I suppose.” he said, starting to lead the way through the crowded New York streets. “Come on then, you lot. Back to the TARDIS.”

And they walked off into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> The songs mentioned in this were "That Man" and "Dr. Wanna Do", both by Caro Emerald.


End file.
